Macy’s is going local with their Web sites, and continuing their commitment to print newspaper advertising.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Peter Sachse, Macy's chief marketing officer and chairman of Macy's online division, said Macy’s will be using local media – including newspapers! – to target consumers who may have been sad to lose their locally-branded department stores when Macy’s renamed them over the past several years. In addition, each store will be able to tailor part of their offerings to local tastes. New online features for macys.com will launch by this Fall.
The moves are part of an initiative called “My Macy’s.” Here’s are just a few excerpts from the WSJ interview:
WSJ: How has the importance of newspaper advertising changed as readers migrate to the Internet?
Sachse: Newspapers, as you know, have declined. That's all there is to it. They have fewer eyeballs. As a marketer, you have to go where the eyeballs are. Having said that, we believe strongly in newspapers, always have, and in the foreseeable future, always will. Something could change, but I don't see it. ... When you think about how we are going to deliver "My Macy's" and those localized ideas, it is going to come from newsprint predominantly.
WSJ: What other strategies are you thinking about in order to get the "My Macy's" message to consumers?
Sachse: Frankly, we need to get the "My Macy's" organization set up, and let them begin to localize those [merchandise] assortments. Once they have done that then the marketing will follow. ...We can do that through the Internet, by locally targeting ads to a ZIP code. And I can do it in terms of newsprint as well.